


Corvette

by SingleDogRadio



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, IT!Derek, M/M, Mechanic!Derek, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-05
Updated: 2014-03-05
Packaged: 2018-01-14 16:25:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1273180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingleDogRadio/pseuds/SingleDogRadio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I tried to write a Sterek based on the song, Riding with Private Malone by David Ball, which almost explains the title.<br/>but instead I wrote this...<br/>.,.,.,.<br/>Six months after burying Laura. Six months after Derek said goodbye to the only family he had left.  All that remains of his sister's New York apartment is at the Salvation Army or inside a UHaul truck. The UHaul that he is driving back to California, back to the city he left six months ago, to try and forget. </p><p>Beacon Hills is the kind of place that feels too familiar, while also feeling too big. Everyone knows the details of the private lives of their neighbors, but Derek has never felt more alone. Unpacking the truck, Derek puts boxes in his loft, with the intention of avoiding unpacking for as long as he can, shoving them into his little storage space. His apartment building is on the edge of the Preserve, with a perfect path for Derek to stretch his legs and breathe in the fresh air.<br/>.,.,.,.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Corvette

Six months after burying Laura. Six months after Derek said goodbye to the only family he had left.  All that remains of his sister's New York apartment is at the Salvation Army or inside a UHaul truck. The UHaul that he is driving back to California, back to the city he left six months ago, to try and forget.

Beacon Hills is the kind of place that feels too familiar, while also feeling too big. Everyone knows the details of the private lives of their neighbors, but Derek has never felt more alone. Unpacking the truck, Derek puts boxes in his loft, with the intention of avoiding unpacking for as long as he can, shoving them into his little storage space. His apartment building is on the edge of the Preserve, with a perfect path for Derek to stretch his legs and breathe in the fresh air.

.,.,.,.,.

The insurance check sat on Derek's mantle since the day it came in the mail. It didn't feel right spending money that he only 'earned' through the loss of his entire family. He could hear his sister Laura's voice teasing him for not spending his half. They both had been away at school while their family burned alive inside their own home. Laura spent her check on something that made her happy. Something that reminded her how much her family loved her. Now Laura is gone too and Derek thinks he should spend some of the money to honor her.

Wifi in the loft hadn't been turned on yet since Derek's trip to New York, so he spent his first Monday in the Beacon Hills Panera Bread. He spent most of his day refilling the miniature sized free water cup and emailing the boss at his old job. His boss was understanding in Derek's situation but six months was too long to hold his job, someone else had been hired in his place. Derek hadn't loved his office job, in a cramped cubicle, filling excel sheets, while being choked by his tie. It was time to freshen up his resume and emailed it to any job openings he found online. That didn't take nearly as long as expected so Derek began dicking around on his laptop.

Craigslist was the fourth website Derek opened after Amazon, EBay, and Freecycle. These websites would give him some ideas of what to buy with the insurance money. Derek already had some options in mind after browsing the Craigslist categories. While in New York, Laura bought a Camaro. It was a beautiful car but it was the biggest waste of time for someone in NYC. A taxi drove through a red light at eighty miles an hour. Laura would have never seen the yellow blur as she approached the intersection and she died on impact. Maybe that made Derek seem twisted for wanting to buy a car. Derek wanted to buy an old car and restore it. Wanting to do to a car, the thing he could never do to Laura. He can't fix everything but losing himself in a project can begin to restore himself.

Derek has been back in Beacon Hills for one month and has only interacted with the people working in the grocery store and the animals living in the preserve. He finished reading the small pile of books he kept on his bedside table and watched the documentaries in his netflix list. The walls of his apartment are starting to turn on him. Instead of a welcoming sight they are trapping him in a monotony prison. Isolation was necessary but Derek needs a hobby that does not include switching from laying on his couch to sitting on his bed or wherever his laptop charger will reach.

.,.,.,.,.

The ad on Craigslist said this was the right address but no one was answering the door. A few mumbled swear words from the other side of the door revealed a tired man halfway through putting on what appeared to be a police uniform. He introduced himself as Sheriff Stilinski and invited Derek in, apologizing for not being prepared. He explained how his son was the one who was supposed to take care of everything involved with the Jeep and selling it. The Sheriff filled a travel mug from a pot of cold coffee, while urging Derek to follow him to the garage. He had no information on the Jeep, just wanted it gone as soon as possible. Derek handed him an envelope with the agreed upon sum and agreed to get out of the Sheriff's hair because he seemed to be in a rush. Turning back quickly, the Sheriff welcomed Derek back to Beacon Hills and handed him the keys to his brand new Used Jeep.

The Jeep was a light blue color that is not made anymore. It was rusted in all the right spots and had scratches and dents that had stories behind them that Derek couldn’t wait to tear apart. The passenger side door was stuck slightly ajar and the trunk seemed unwilling to open at all. This Jeep was exactly what Derek needed to fill his lonely hours every night and weekend. It had personality and it was the definition of a fixer upper.

.,.,.,.,.

Having no luck with his emailed resume, Derek reached out once again to his old boss, only to be given a referral to a job opening not yet listed. It was not the same job Derek had been doing but it was a job in the same office building in Beacon Hills. His first day he was directed from the receptionist to the basement. The basement was not cold and moldy but refinished and had rooms full of storage and computers. At the end of the hallway, left of the elevators, there is a cramped office with two desks, two chairs, two phones, two computers, and one man. Derek enters the office but the man does not seem to notice, continuing his phone conversation while his feet tap out a rhythm on his desk. Waiting for a lull in the conversation proves to be fruitless so Derek clears his throat and the man in the office jumps, leaving his tie as crooked as his smile. He fixes his fluffy brown hair and turns to Derek to welcome him and make space on the second desk. His name is Scott and he has occupied this office alone for so long that his things seemed to expand to all surfaces. With Derek's desk and chair now clear of papers and pants, Scott trains him on the basics of the offices' IT department. Derek now worked in IT, in the city's sleepiest office building. Scott seemed baffled as to why they even need a second IT person but was eager for the company.

By the end of the first week, Derek has gone from Isolation to an office party of two. He has learned about every person in Scott's life, like the beautiful, perfect, sexy Allison or his sarcastic and kind best bro, Stiles. Scott's mom is a nurse and he still brings her lunch at least once a week at Beacon Hills memorial hospital. On the other hand, Derek has shared exactly two pieces of information about himself, the first being his name. The second is his allergy to peanuts, which came about when Scott offered him some of his Reese's Pieces. The break from isolation is a welcome change even if Derek refuses to let Scott know how pleasant it is to hear someone else's thoughts.

.,.,.,.,.,.

One week of work went by faster than he thought. The office is much better than the cubicle. Derek is suspicious that his boss Deaton only gave him the job because he felt sorry for Derek. He won’t dwell on that, he is glad for the opportunity. However, Derek is happy for the weekend if only to begin his pet project: The Jeep.

Derek looked at the damage to the Jeep last weekend and began ordering the necessary parts the past week. Finding the right paint was the difficult part but Derek found a website where they can match paint color to anything you want. Not that it's even close to painting time. Derek works on the Jeep all weekend, removing and replacing faulty parts.

.,.,.,.,.

Talia, Derek's late mother, taught him all about cars when he was in high school. After his first heartbreak, Derek cried to his mother how nothing in his life would ever be okay without his first love. He begged her to help him fix it, yelling about finding a way to fix this. Talia didn't disagree, she just hugged Derek until he stopped crying. Then she held his face in her hands and said, "you can't fix everything." That year she took him to the garage she owned and taught him everything she knew about cars. As a mechanic, Talia was loved around Beacon Hills for good work and fair prices. Talia loved what she did because she loved cars. To her, cars had a voice and personality. The cars told her the symptoms and she found the cure. Derek learned a lot about himself that year. His mother's lessons both about automobiles and about relationships stayed with him even after they had to shut down the Garage. Derek couldn't run Talia's shop not when he saw her in every corner of it.

.,.,.,.,.,.

It takes months for Derek to feel comfortable with Scott. It takes months for Derek to finish working on the Jeep. In those months, Derek becomes really good at his job thanks to Scott and they even start building a friendship outside the office. Derek opens up to Scott eventually about the loss of his family, without getting into too much detail. Scott shares about his father abandoning him. Derek explains his six months absence and how he needs to run away in order to clear his head and heal his heart. He didn't use those words verbatim but Scott understood regardless. It's almost exactly three months from Derek's first week when Scott invites him out to drinks with a large group of friends and coworkers. This isn't Scott's first invite but the first time Derek decides to tag along even with the anxiety of a large group of strangers and the worry of making a good impression.

.,.,.,.,.

Derek is surprised he didn't notice it sooner but it was shoved underneath receipts inside the owners manual. After cleaning out the glovebox, Derek finds a letter. The letter is worn from folding and unfolding and covered in stains, coffee and ketchup, hopefully. He doesn't know if he should read it, if it's considered an invasion of privacy when technically he owns it. The letter is not addresses to anyone but is clear in its message. It's a goodbye letter, written from a woman on her deathbed, reminding her son that she is with him always. Derek won't admit to crying when he reads it over for the fifth time, tugging at his heart strings when he hears his mother's voice saying the things written down in this strangers letter. He wants to return it but he doesn't know if it belongs to the Sheriff and Derek worries about opening up old wounds, especially when the Sheriff seemed do thrilled to be rid of the Jeep in the first place. Derek folds the letter up and tucks it into the Vonnegut that stays on his nightstand beside his bed. Derek's father always taught him the importance of choosing one book to read over and over again until the story becomes a part of your dreams, sleeping and awake.

.,.,.,.,,.

The bar wasn't too busy so Derek saw Scott at a table filled with people. The quickly did introductions and the stories Scott had told were beginning to grow faces to go with their names. The anxiety hadn't been necessary because all of his friends welcomed Derek just as Scott had easily done on their first encounter. Derek stayed pretty quiet for most of the night, responding to any questions politely but the sounds of the bar started to taunt his headaches out of hiding. After the third beer, Derek said his goodbyes and thanked Scott for the invite, happy to return to quiet of his loft for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday morning he slept in later than usual because today is the day Derek is taking the fully restored Jeep for its first long journey. With no set destination in mind and a breakfast of eggs and bacon settles in his stomach, Derek rolls the windows down and heads West. Once he hits the highway, the windows go up a bit and the radio gets louder. He sits behind eighteen wheelers in traffic and sees teenagers blasting the radio while scream singing. The dog with his head out the window, tongue flapping in the wind, seems an appealing way to travel, although then he grosses himself out thinking about the bugs that he would swallow. Taking the next exit, Derek turns into a diner and orders himself a chicken salad club sandwich with thick cut French fries drenched in salt and malt vinegar. This weekend has made Derek feel whole again. Fitting in at work and finishing his Jeep. Derek belongs, even if he is still on the edge, he no longer feels like he is about to fall.

On his way home, the sun is setting and oldies are playing softly through the speakers. Derek feels a cold chill on his right side and the sun glare tricked his eyes into seeing a person in the passenger seat out of the corner of his eye. When he turns to check, no one is there but he feels a warmth from his heart to his fingertips. He decides to extend this day of feeling good by stopping at the coffee shop downtown. Derek orders a black tea and indulges in one of their homemade blueberry honey muffins. He chooses a stool at the bar facing the window that looks out onto the parking lot where his Jeep sits. In the middle of his first bite of the warmed muffin, he sees a silhouette sitting in his Jeep. As he tries to look again, nothing is there, like another trick his eye is playing on him. Laura would tell him to get some sleep so he finishes the muffin in one more bite and takes his tea to go.

.,.,.,.,..,.

Since the cementing of their friendship, Scott feels more compelled to share about his other friends with Derek at work. He invites Derek to join for lunch at the diner down the street with some of the co workers from the other night. Scott seems extra excited and Derek now feels compelled to ask him the reason, as is the unwritten rules of new friendships. Derek thinks that it is a rule but would honestly love a glimpse at the rule book for further investigation into social norms. Scott explains how his best friend, "you know the one I met in elementary school and we've been best bros ever since?!" Is back in town and joining for lunch. For the rest of the morning Scott tells Derek every story about this delinquent Stiles who must be twelve years old based on Scott's descriptions although all of his tales do come from before Stiles moved to Boston for school. Stiles ended up staying in Boston for a few years after getting his masters but is now the prodigal child and must return.

Lunch is no feast but it is definitely a celebration for the return of Stiles to Beacon Hills. Everyone in the diner is excited, acting like he is some sort of celebrity. A table of elderly ladies behind Derek whisper loudly about the curly fry contest Stiles won five years in a row and after he moved away, the contest was retired entirely. Derek is sitting in a corner booth with Scott's friends from the office, Isaac and Boyd. Although the three men in the corner booth appear to be the only party indifferent to Stiles. Scott comes rushing through the door laughing loudly and dragging an arm behind him. The arm is attached the man who enters the diner with Scott and Derek is guessing it must be Stiles (it's a really good guess).

Scott drags Stiles around to the owner and every patron in the diner, each hugging and welcoming Stiles back. Derek is still weirded out by how welcoming Beacon Hills can be even when you're not technically new. Stiles looks tired and embarrassed based on the way his eyelids seem to be actively fighting gravity and the bright blush dotting his cheeks and neck. Scott and Stiles finally make it to the corner booth, at the same time as the food gets to their table so introductions don't exactly happen and Derek feels a little relieved. The meal is cut very short because they all have to return to the office but Stiles seems too enraptured by his basket of curly fries to be upset by it. Derek doesn't say a word to Stiles as he is rushed back to work with Scott, Isaac and Boyd quietly stating their welcomes and good byes to Stiles as they slide out of the corner booth.

.,..,.,.,.,.

Stiles becomes a permanent fixture in Scott's life once again, meaning Derek hears about him every day. Scott tells Derek about the movies they see, the video games they play, and Derek is still convinced they are actually children. Derek has seen Stiles in person on multiple occasions. He knows Stiles is far from a child. With his broad shoulders and sarcastic responses to Scott with outright aggression towards Isaac. Stiles seems just as great as a Scott described him, the only problem being that he completely ignores Derek. Ever since the diner, Derek has been waiting for formal introduction but he barely even gets eye contact. Stiles avoids him like the plague and Derek doesn't know how to force an interaction. Laura would be laughing at his social ineptitude. Derek is just used to being that he doesn't know how to act. Stiles is the exact opposite in that he looks comfortable being the center of attention. Stiles who uses both hands when telling a story and who laughs with his entire body. Stiles who checks that everyone is completely engaged in his story right before he gets to the end, everyone but Derek.

.,.,.,.,.,.,,,.,,.

One year after burying Laura. One year after cutting ties with the world. Derek visits the grave of his sister, beside the grave of his mother, father, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents. Today is just about Laura. Laura helped him survive after they lost their entire family. Without Laura he would've packed a backpack and lived the rest of his life in a cabin in the woods, becoming feral, one with nature. Laura forced him to keep working and keep living even when she was across the country. Derek sits at her grave, placing the bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries by her headstone, because she always complained about the death smell of lilies and joked about how an edible arrangement is much more thoughtful. At first Derek just sits in silence with Laura. Because he can feel Laura niggling underneath his skin, Derek starts talking about his year without her. How he filled the first six months with sadness and memories of family way from home. How he wasted away in New York, going to the places she had told him about and imagining she was there. Derek described the next six months as much happier when he returned to Beacon Hills and found people here to accept him. He tells Laura about his boss, Deaton, and how he mysteriously had a job opening in an office clearly built for one. He talks about Scott and how he has been such a good friend in a short time, even if he can be too happy some days. Derek loves telling Laura about his Jeep and how much time and insurance money went into it, he knows she would be proud. It's weird for Derek to tell Laura this when he feels her there all the time, but it's nice to think about all that has happened this year.

It's getting late so Derek says goodbye to Laura and heads towards his Jeep, sitting forlornly in the parking lot. The jeep waits patiently as Derek sits in the drivers seat and lets out the tears he was holding back in the cemetery. As he is wiping his eyes another car pulls into the parking lot and he sees Stiles in a red hoodie clutching a bouquet of tulips. Stiles doesn't look over at him, and Derek is thankful for being ignored this one time. Through blurry eyes, Derek can see Stiles shoulders hunched and arms twitching along the flower petals. Stiles hesitates before stepping on the grass and then slowly marches to a stone cross in the far left. A weight drops on his right shoulder like a comforting hand that heats Derek from his core to his toes but again when Derek turns there is no one in the passenger seat. The radio plays a song he remembers his mother loved. Derek stops watching Stiles when he gets to the grave stone and drives back to his loft for a restless night sleep.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.

Scott invites Derek to the bar the next Friday after work and Derek is actually looking forward to it. He has gotten to know Boyd and his girlfriend Erica and really enjoys their company now. Leaving the office with Boyd, they talk about work as they walk to Erica's car waiting for them in the parking lot. They drive over together and Erica decides that because she had a rough week, Derek and her needed to get extremely drunk, Boyd of course had designated driver duty. The three of them joined the large table in the back and Erica quickly ordered shots for the table. Boyd Sat beside Isaac, who had already treated himself and Scott and Allison to beverages from the bar. Lydia was beside Allison, drinking iced water with lemon, and checking her phone every two minutes like clockwork. Derek was at the opposite end of the table from Lydia, which was good because she scared him a little because she always knew what he was thinking and wasn't afraid to share that information. Mostly he was thinking about being bored but tonight he was only thinking about getting drunk, as per Erica's instructions.

Four shots in, Stiles comes sashaying into the bar, shouting about something about superheroes to Scott. Stopping by Lydia and stealing her phone, taunting her, which Derek would never be willing to do unless he wanted to be castrated. Then Erica hands him a shot, they take shots together, and shout karaoke! like the shots gave them mind melding capabilities for a split second. Karaoke was being set up and many of the bars patrons were flipping through the song list to prepare for their five minutes of drunken fame. Stiles sits beside Derek in the only open chair and talks over him to Erica about the time they did a an Enrique Iglesias duet with a drunk guy from out of town that had definitely realized they were underaged.

By the time Stiles catches up on number of shots, Derek has switched to beer because he's more of a light weight than he cares to admit. By the time Stiles and Erica do karaoke, Derek is definitely drunk. He is staring as Stiles belts out Katy Perry and moves his hips. Derek becomes a 1950s teenager seeing Elvis perform when seeing hips move in those undulations feels illegal. The rebelliousness only making Stiles dance moves more enticing to watch. As they return to their seats, Erica asks Derek how Stiles did and Derek answers a little too enthusiastically with how great they were. Derek feels lightheaded and the churning in his stomach definitely means he's had too much but it also feels bright like someone threw fairy dust in the bar and whispered happy thoughts. Sitting this close to Stiles, a Derek finally sees his eyes through his long dark lashes. The color is not the only striking thing about Stiles’ eyes. They seem so big and earnest, big brown bulbs searching down deep at whatever they stare at. They don't seem to stay in one place for long though it could be due to copious consumption of alcohol. Stiles is watching the next performers and is starts tapping his foot and swaying to the beat. With each sway he bumps into Derek's shoulder absent mindedly. Derek doesn't mind. It just makes him want to dance. Derek even starts to hum along when they choose songs he is familiar with.

The alcohol has helped lower all of the inhibitions of the group. Scott decides it is a good time to get Derek on stage, even selecting a Queen song that he knows he heard Derek listening to at work on multiple occasions. Derek outright refuses even after Scott gives him puppy dog eyes. Erica butts in by saying he shouldn't have to go up alone but she doesn't know that song. Stiles turns to Derek, grabs his shoulder until Derek is meeting his eyes exclaiming, "wait! I know that song! Calll me Mister Fahrenheeeeeit" and somehow Stiles and Derek are being pulled on stage together to sing 'Don't Stop Me Now' together.

Derek is not sure how he focused on singing with Stiles that close and Stiles’ hips that close and Stiles’ lips that close. He thinks he may have stopped singing halfway just to watch Stiles. Blame it on the alcohol. When they get back to the table some switch flips because Stiles is so excited that it's contagious. Derek is infected by Stiles happiness and now that Stiles is actually directing some of that happy towards him, it floods the system.

They switched to water about one bad Britney Spears cover ago and Stiles is telling Derek about the old man who used to come in every week and sing ballads all dedicated to his dead wife, all while Stilles is hysterically laughing, head tilted back, mouth wide open. Derek even starts talking about the time his sister Cora did karaoke on their family trip to Disney Land but she got booed off stage even though she was only thirteen. Stiles is laughing because of Derek and it makes Derek feel warmer and dizzier than the alcohol did. Derek didn't even notice that he said Cora's name for the first time since the fire.

It's getting late and all the designated drivers are ready to take their drunks home. Erica drags Stiles with her out the door and Derek and Boyd follow them. They say goodbye to Scott and his pack with Lydia smiling sourly as the their driver for the evening. Stiles is stretched out in the backseat of Boyd's car and Derek tried to squeeze in beside him. Erica tries to get an argument out of Stiles by bringing up comic book characters but Stiles doesn't rise to the bait, only because he looks to be close to sleeping. Boyd chuckles at the view in the rear view mirror and heads towards Derek's loft to drop him off.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.

The next morning finds Derek flinging his phone across the room for waking him up only to realize its a phone call from Erica. Not that it matters because she is knocking on his door but a second later. He answers without opening his eyes or bothering to find a shirt. Erica is standing outside his door with an equally tired looking Stiles telling him to try to answer his texts once in a while. She barges in grabbing him a shirt, pushing him to the bathroom with a shout of "brush your teeth, you stink!" And that's how he ended up back at the diner for a hangover brunch.

Lydia's smile is now too peppy for his liking. She is finding a sick enjoyment out of not being one of the hungover people at brunch. She's sitting beside Stiles whispering to him as he groans and throws his head on the table in what looks to be exhaustion and annoyance. The tips of Stiles ears are turning a bit pink or it's just in Derek's imagination. Lydia turns to Derek and tells him to fix his bed head because it is distracting. Derek blames Erica for his appearance but she informs him that it is his fault for not reading her texts, or clearly, for not reading her mind. Stiles lifts his head and gives Derek a soft smile because he must know how difficult it is dealing with both Lydia and Erica.

Derek's waffles are the most delicious things he's ever tasted in all of eternity. Or maybe that's his hangover talking. But the berries and the cinnamon sugar and the whipped cream and the maple syrup all on top of the perfectly crispy and warm waffle is spot on! Derek never gets this enthusiastic about anything but he feels a little bit like he's found a family. Derek knows that he has things to get excited about and people who care enough for him to share that with.

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

The next day is back to work. Derek and Scott get the surprise of Stiles bringing them coffee that morning to their office. He is on his way to bring his resume to different offices around downtown and thought he would stop by and say hello. Scott talks to him about Allison and their relationship and what happened with the two of them that weekend. Every once and a while Stiles meets Derek's eyes and fondly rolls his own as if to say they both have to deal with Scott's waxing poetic about the dimples of Allison. Derek smiles wide because he has something with Stiles. Even if it's just an understanding about Stiles best friend and Derek's co worker. Derek is no longer being ignored by Stiles.

Scott gets a call to fix a computer (finally they have actual work to do) leaving Stiles and Derek alone. The air gets stale quick. Derek's hope is shattered instantly. Any moment he thought he was having is over. Stiles however doesn't run away. He looks at Derek and makes a joke about their karaoke performance being the performance of a lifetime. People at the bar are going to talk about that performance for the rest of their lives. Derek laughs at this, knowing how much of a bumbling idiot he actually was on stage but thankful for Stiles not mentioning it.

Derek decides in a moment of sheer insanity he will label bravery, to ask Stiles to hang out, leaving it open to interpretation as to whether or not it's platonic. Stiles agrees to grabbing coffee or whatever and gives Derek his phone number so they can figure it out. Casual. Derek is super casual and nonchalant. Are Derek's hands always this sweaty, he can't remember. Stiles leaves with that small smile aimed at Derek once again.

.,.,.,.,.,.

They don't text or conversate outside of the few texts about where and when to meet. Derek offers to pick Stiles up. Stiles texts his address. Laura tells Derek how dumb he is for being nervous, as if that helps.

Derek pulls up to Stiles house with hair that he only spent one hour obsessing over and an outfit he spent double the time on. Trying his best to appear casual. He sits in his Jeep outside Stiles house giving himself the pep talk of the century. He feels like the air in the car is chuckling at him as the radio plays a familiar Billy Joel song softly. The air then turns comforting and he feels his nerves fall out the door and he gets out of the car. He walks up to the front door, knocks and hears muffled curse from behind the door. Stiles swings open the door a minute later with a hand beckoning Derek in as Stiles is hopping on one sockless foot, tying the laces on his shoe. Finally Stiles has both shoes on, he looks up and says hi. Derek responds with hi, feeling awkward and nervous again but Stiles puts a comforting hand on his shoulder and leads him back out the front door.

That's when Stiles see a blue Jeep and starts to flail in excitement. He runs to the Jeep calling it baby and caressing its hood. Remembering himself, he looks up at Derek and interrogates him about where he got this car and when. Derek opens the door for Stiles, hops into the drivers seat, all while explaining the story of the craigslist ad and fixing the Jeep up. Stiles seems so interested that it compels Derek to go on. Derek explains how in the glovebox he found a beautiful letter and Stiles eyes well up with tears. Stiles asks if he still has the letter. Derek sheepishly admits to having moved it from his nightstand to his wallet because he likes to be close to it, close to her. Even if he never knew her, her words meant something to Derek at a time when he really needed it. Stiles is waiting with palm outstretched as Derek pulls out his wallet and hesitantly passes him the letter.

Stiles slowly unfolds it delicately like he is dealing with an ancient manuscript. He then tells Derek about his mother. The mother who he had been bringing tulips to her grave. The mother who wrote him this letter when he was young and he thought he had lost it forever. Stiles grabs Derek's hand, squeezes it, and thanks him profusely. Derek also feels a chilled gust of air hit his back and disappear almost instantly, Elton John is singing about this feeling inside. He thanks Stiles for sharing that part of him and then starts driving to the coffee house.

Derek learns it is definitely a date. He also finds out Stiles was never ignoring him but may not have been as confident as he appeared to be. Stiles blames Derek for overestimating him. Stiles also blames Derek when a blush covers his cheeks and stretches to his neck after Derek compliments him. Stiles learns that Derek drinks tea at a coffee place. He also learns Derek has a mirror covered in post its with motivational quotes on it in his bathroom. Stiles adds a few quotes of his own.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to edit/critique this. I'm new here :0  
> Find me at singledogradio.tumblr.com


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